战争开始了。
昨天我在贴子里提到演员Martin Sheen（在电视剧集The Wing中扮演美国总统）积极组织好莱坞反战活动的时候，想起了20多年前由他主演、弗朗西斯·科波拉导演的电影《现代启示录》(Apocalypse Now!)。
《现代启示录》改编自经典文学作品《黑暗的心》（康拉德），故事背景从殖民探险时代的非洲移到了战火纷飞的越南。Martin Sheen扮演的主人公是一名身付使命的美军上尉，带领一个小分队乘船沿河而上，寻找一名叛逆失控的美军上校（马龙·白兰度）并杀死他。在旅途中，主人公用眼睛纪录了战争带来的杀戮、疯狂，对人性的伤害。这是一部史诗电影，获1979年戛纳电影节金棕榈奖。
以前有这部电影的VCD，看了不下5遍。去年导演科波拉重新整理这部电影，加上了原片被剪掉的50分钟镜头，命名为Apocalypse Now! Redux重新上映，我也得以在大银幕上欣赏。在美国拍摄的反省越战影片中，以这一部最为深刻沉重。
其中美军直升机攻击越南村庄一段，是电影史上的经典镜头。武装直升机群跨海而来，奔向安详宁静的村庄。目标将近，直升机用携带的大功率扩音机，播放着瓦格纳的《女武神》，大开杀戒。用简陋武器顽强抵抗的越南人。善良而紧张的老人家。舍身送上手榴弹的越南少女，她和她的母亲被随后击毙。受伤痛苦的美军士兵。。。”把他们炸回到石器时代”，是此片的经典台词。为了追求真实效果，摄制组在泰国搭建了一个村庄，然后炸掉了。
影片开始，是绿色的稻田、椰林，在微风中显得静谧和谐的。一会儿，一架直升机从镜头前晃过。又一架直升机晃过。燃烧弹投下来了。椰林烧起来了，原本充满绿意的银幕成了火焰的红色。音乐响起来了，就是The Doors乐队的这首The End。
这首歌在影片的结尾又被用到。主人公在夜幕掩护下从水中冒出，刺杀科茨上校，同时交错着村民宰杀公牛的场面。
The Doors是摇滚乐历史上堪称伟大的乐队，是1960年代少数几个能与英国同行相提并论的美国乐队之一。灵魂人物Jim Morrison，同时也是诗人，1971年死于吸毒过量，年仅28岁。
The End
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I’ll never look into your eyes…again
Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need…of some…stranger’s hand
In a…desperate land
Lost in a Roman…wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane
All the children are insane
Waiting for the summer rain, yeah
There’s danger on the edge of town
Ride the King’s highway, baby
Weird scenes inside the gold mine
Ride the highway west, baby
Ride the snake, ride the snake
To the lake, the ancient lake, baby
The snake is long, seven miles
Ride the snake…he’s old, and his skin is cold
The west is the best
The west is the best
Get here, and we’ll do the rest
The blue bus is callin’ us
The blue bus is callin’ us
Driver, where you taken’ us
The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on
He took a face from the ancient gallery
And he walked on down the hall
He went into the room where his sister lived, and…then he
Paid a visit to his brother, and then he
He walked on down the hall, and
And he came to a door…and he looked inside
Father, yes son, I want to kill you
Mother…I want to…fuck you
C’mon baby, take a chance with us
C’mon baby, take a chance with us
C’mon baby, take a chance with us
And meet me at the back of the blue bus
Doin’ a blue rock
On a blue bus
Doin’ a blue rock
C’mon, yeah
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
It hurts to set you free
But you’ll never follow me
The end of laughter and soft lies
The end of nights we tried to die
This is the end
